Polish music Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

We are one hundred years away from the Silesian uprisings. This is a time when individual stories told by insurgents and their families have undergone many transformations. The emotional, direct messages of the participants of the... more

We are one hundred years away from the Silesian uprisings. This is a time when individual stories told by insurgents and their families have undergone many transformations. The emotional, direct messages of the participants of the insurgent fights were dominated by literature, protecting them from oblivion, but at the same time making them largely unified and devoid of the patriotic fighting spirit of those days, present several decades ago thanks to the testimony of witnesses who, unfortunately, have already passed away. Although it seems that almost everything has been said about the Silesian Uprisings – we know the historical facts, the insurgent prose and everyday life written in the magazines “Kocynder” and “Powstaniec Śląski”, we perform the most popular songs from the insurgent songbooks and we read poetic descriptions by Augustyn Świder or Emanuel Imieli by heart – there are still occasions during which hitherto unknown sources are discovered, hidden for years in the home archives, enabling the return to the already fading, quiet voice of the insurgents. Such an opportunity was made possible by the multi-stage project “Digitization of the Collections of Professor Adolf Dygacz”, implemented by the Museum “Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzów” since 2018, covering almost sixteen thousand documents from the archives of Silesian folklorist – Adolf Dygacz (1914–2004). Among these materials, donated to the Chorzów institution by the heirs of the researcher – Janina Lipińska-Dygacz and Kornelia Dygacz, over two hundred insurgent songs were found, including unpublished typescripts and manuscripts with a text-melodic layer of songs, which currently – in 2021 – due to the celebration the hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of the third Silesian Uprising appears to be of special importance. This anthology is therefore an attempt to show what was previously hidden in the ethnomusicological archives of the Silesian folklorist, a committed field researcher – Adolf Dygacz, and the works included in it supplement the collections of insurgent music published by him in 1958 and 1997. Almost half of the songs in the form presented here have not been made public, and yet these works, containing musical statements by real witnesses to history, presenting a bottom-up, local version of the insurgent reality, attitudes and emotions, should under no circumstances be ignored. Especially now, in the context of the “turn of thinking” postulated by the new studies on memory, which puts “effort to show, manifest and present past things as if they were alive in some way; as if their narratives are still unfinished; that we, living now, may feel empathy with those who have passed away, so that reflecting on their ‘cases’ will enrich us”.

There is a general skepticism about the possibility of establishing parallels between the literary ballad and Chopin's ballads. Even so, the evidence about a possible relationship between certain poetic ballads and the only four works by... more

There is a general skepticism about the possibility of establishing parallels between the literary ballad and Chopin's ballads. Even so, the evidence about a possible relationship between certain poetic ballads and the only four works by the composer (apart from his songs) that may have extra-musical content are enough to attempt an approach between both worlds. For this it will be necessary to know some of the life events of its author, as well as to make a foray into the world of the literary ballad and its most important Polish representative, Adam Mickiewicz, all against the background of the historical events that surrounded their protagonists in the second quarter of the 19th century, since both artists made the same geographical journey that, starting from Poland, reached Paris, also passing through other European cities.

[Soul music – the origins, history, socio-cultural base and the kinds of soul inspiration in the Polish music] The theme of this study is a historical reconnaissance of soul music, taking into account the global context, with all the... more

[Soul music – the origins, history, socio-cultural base and the kinds of soul inspiration in the Polish music]
The theme of this study is a historical reconnaissance of soul music, taking into account the global context, with all the social and historical conditions that accompanied the development of the style. The main aim that the author set himself is to find sources of Polish musicians’ inspirations that can be found in American music from the 60s of the twentieth century. The main section of this paper is an attempt to define soul music and the characteristic of the style in a variety of shots – strictly musical, social, political, historical, racial and the general-culture one. The final chapter undertakes the task of showing the results of analysis of native music in terms of its membership to the style. In this section, a very broad meaning of the term ’soul’ has been assumed, which in this context is merely a reflection of the original phenomenon. The author hopes that this study will contribute to the dissemination of knowledge that soul music – both worldwide and in Poland – is an original and valuable style.

In Polish musical historiography, the song Bogurodzica is considered to be the oldest artifact of Polish song culture written in a staff notation. This article attempts to study the history of this song's emergence and distribution not... more

In Polish musical historiography, the song Bogurodzica is considered to be the oldest artifact of Polish song culture written in a staff notation. This article attempts to study the history of this song's emergence and distribution not only against the background of Polish musical culture of the late 14 th – early 15 th centuries, but also under the conditions of the Kievan Rus' and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Firstly, the article presents the main written sources of the Bogurodzica in the 15 th –16 th centuries and analyzes the title, verbal text and the plot of the Bogurod-zica as well as the origins of the melody. Secondly, the text focuses on Ruthenian Court Musicians of the King Władysław II Jagiełło, musical contacts between the courts of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas and the great masters of the Teutonic Order, the place and meaning of the Mother of God churches in the Kievan Rus' , battle prayers to the Mother of God in the Ruthenian princely environment, singing to the Mother of God before battle in the Kievan Rus' and the Ruthenian cult of the Mother of God in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This research provides new grounds to consider the Bogurodzica as a piece of work of the ancient Ruthenian culture and suggests that eventually it could be included into the contemporary musical historiography of Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania.

We are one hundred years away from the Silesian uprisings. This is a time when individual stories told by insurgents and their families have undergone many transformations. The emotional, direct messages of the participants of the... more

We are one hundred years away from the Silesian uprisings. This is a time when individual stories told by insurgents and their families have undergone many transformations. The emotional, direct messages of the participants of the insurgent fights were dominated by literature, protecting them from oblivion, but at the same time making them largely unified and devoid of the patriotic fighting spirit of those days, present several decades ago thanks to the testimony of witnesses who, unfortunately, have already passed away. Although it seems that almost everything has been said about the Silesian Uprisings – we know the historical facts, the insurgent prose and everyday life written in the magazines “Kocynder” and “Powstaniec Śląski”, we perform the most popular songs from the insurgent songbooks and we read poetic descriptions by Augustyn Świder or Emanuel Imieli by heart – there are still occasions during which hitherto unknown sources are discovered, hidden for years in the home archives, enabling the return to the already fading, quiet voice of the insurgents. Such an opportunity was made possible by the multi-stage project “Digitization of the Collections of Professor Adolf Dygacz”, implemented by the Museum “Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzów” since 2018, covering almost sixteen thousand documents from the archives of Silesian folklorist – Adolf Dygacz (1914–2004). Among these materials, donated to the Chorzów institution by the heirs of the researcher – Janina Lipińska-Dygacz and Kornelia Dygacz, over two hundred insurgent songs were found, including unpublished typescripts and manuscripts with a text-melodic layer of songs, which currently – in 2021 – due to the celebration the hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of the third Silesian Uprising appears to be of special importance. This anthology is therefore an attempt to show what was previously hidden in the ethnomusicological archives of the Silesian folklorist, a committed field researcher – Adolf Dygacz, and the works included in it supplement the collections of insurgent music published by him in 1958 and 1997. Almost half of the songs in the form presented here have not been made public, and yet these works, containing musical statements by real witnesses to history, presenting a bottom-up, local version of the insurgent reality, attitudes and emotions, should under no circumstances be ignored. Especially now, in the context of the “turn of thinking” postulated by the new studies on memory, which puts “effort to show, manifest and present past things as if they were alive in some way; as if their narratives are still unfinished; that we, living now, may feel empathy with those who have passed away, so that reflecting on their ‘cases’ will enrich us”.

Booklet accompanying compact disc recording of archival songs by Aleksander Kulisiewicz created in Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

Edition based on a complete copy of the original first printing of Władysław Żeleński’s "Goplana" orchestral score (Wien 1897, Musikaliendruckerei von Josef Eberle & Co.), held at the Biblioteka Materiałów Orkiestrowych PWM S.A. in... more

Edition based on a complete copy of the original first printing of Władysław Żeleński’s "Goplana" orchestral score (Wien 1897, Musikaliendruckerei von Josef Eberle & Co.), held at the Biblioteka Materiałów Orkiestrowych PWM S.A. in Warsaw, and on the handwritten additions to the score supplemented by the composer in the years 1897–1898, whose unique copies have survived in the collections of the Národní Divadlo v Praze (Knihovna notových materiálů).

A critical edition of the masses for three male voices by Polish 18th-century composer Jakub Gołąbek. The volume includes an introduction and editorial notes containing some new findings on the composer’s biography and the successors of... more

A critical edition of the masses for three male voices by Polish 18th-century composer Jakub Gołąbek. The volume includes an introduction and editorial notes containing some new findings on the composer’s biography and the successors of the famous Rorantists Ensemble in the late 19th and early 20th century Kraków.

The aim of the article is to present the works by Stanisław Staszewski which, despite being present in Polish popular culture for years, have not been thoroughly analysed in terms of their both textual and musical contents. This text... more

The aim of the article is to present the works by Stanisław Staszewski which, despite being present in Polish popular culture for years, have not been thoroughly analysed in terms of their both textual and musical contents. This text analyzes the work of the author known from the original, preserved recordings and is based on texts contained in the volume of poetry Lonely people, poems and songs [Samotni ludzie. Wiersze i piosenki]. The included historiographic sketch and a closer look at the formal music-textual aspect of the works discussed here is a contribution to the general state of research on the relationships of literature and music.

The oberek and the kujawiak are two dances now considered as part of the Polish national dance canon. What they have in common is: triple time, mazurka rhythms, whirling motion and the improvised character of the movement composition.... more

The oberek and the kujawiak are two dances now considered as part of the Polish national dance canon. What they have in common is: triple time, mazurka rhythms, whirling motion and the improvised character of the movement composition. Elements of mazurka rhythms can be found in 16th-century music sources, but they were fully formed only in the 17th century, while the oberek and the kujawiak emerged as separate genres between 1750 and 1830. These two genres were combined into one whole and, toward the end of this period, began to be performed in salons, first as music for listening, and in the 1840s also as dance. From the 2nd half of the 19th century, we have descriptions of this dance by Kolberg (in crudo), Karol mestenhauser, and Arkadiusz Kleczewski (the key elements and the dance figures). Comprehensive descriptions of the salon forms only come from the 1930s (those by Józef Waxman, Jan Ostrowski-Naumoff, Czesław Kwiatkowski and Zofia Kwaśnicowa), when those dances became a major component of music education and stage spectacles.

Biografia Violetty Villas zanalizowana przez pryzmat zjawisk, z którymi kojarzona była piosenkarka: kamp, USA, Polska, opera, religia, włosy, starość, zwierzęta

In the concept of the aesthetic formation of knowledge and its as soon as possible and success-oriented application, insights and profits without the reference to the arguments developed around 1900. The main investigation also includes... more

In the concept of the aesthetic formation of knowledge and its as soon as possible and success-oriented application, insights and profits without the reference to the arguments developed around 1900. The main investigation also includes the period between the entry into force and the presentation in its current version. Their function as part of the literary portrayal and narrative technique. 1 Studies and Investigations The main investigation also includes the period between the entry into force and the presentation in its current version. Their function as part of the literary portrayal and narrative technique.

Karol Szymanowski’s visits to Zakopane became an opportunity to meet research-ers studying Podhale’s music folklore and, through them, folk musicians. Szy-manowski’s relations with the latter—contrary to the standards represented by a... more

Karol Szymanowski’s visits to Zakopane became an opportunity to meet research-ers studying Podhale’s music folklore and, through them, folk musicians. Szy-manowski’s relations with the latter—contrary to the standards represented by a majority of scholars from the German musicological school of the day—were close, even direct, which had an impact on his perception and experiencing of the music. Szymanowski’s meditative nature made him turn towards the views of representatives of Hungarian music folklore studies rather than represent-atives of comparative musicology. In Szymanowski’s Zakopane period we can find many elements characteris-ing the work of folklorists in the second half of the twentieth century, that is af-ter the anthropological breakthrough in ethnomusicology.

Aspekt brzmieniowy, niezwykle ważny w polskiej twórczości ostatnich stu lat, z biegiem kolejnych dekad przybierał różne formy, które zaznaczyły się na osi czasu w trzech punktach węzłowych. Owe różnice dotyczyły genezy danego prądu czy... more

Aspekt brzmieniowy, niezwykle ważny w polskiej twórczości ostatnich stu lat, z biegiem kolejnych dekad przybierał różne formy, które zaznaczyły się na osi czasu w trzech punktach węzłowych. Owe różnice dotyczyły genezy danego prądu czy myśli (impresjonizm i spektralizm zaczerpnięte od kompozytorów zagranicznych, sonoryzm jako zjawisko rodzime), estetyki i typu ekspresji (wyrafinowana u Szymanowskiego, bruitystyczna u Pendereckiego, u Stańczyka w wielu odsłonach), a także techniki kompozytorskiej i samego procesu twórczego (intuicja – eksperyment – podbudowa teoretyczna). Wydaje się jednak, iż twórczość ta – nawet jeżeli ujmiemy ją w ramach jakiegoś nurtu czy prądu estetycznego – jest zawsze indywidualna i wynika z odczuwanej przez kompozytorów potrzeby rozwijania własnego języka muzycznego. Jako klucz do odczytania tej problematyki nasuwają się dwa pojęcia – natura i nauka. Rozwój nauk takich jak psychologia muzyki, akustyka, psychoakustyka czy informatyka, był warunkiem koniecznym do świadomego rozwoju brzmieniowości w muzyce i zaistnienia opisanych nurtów. Równocześnie elementem stale obecnym w myśleniu o muzyce skoncentrowanej na brzmieniu jest natura – zarówno w rozumieniu zjawisk przyrodniczych, do których odwołują się Szymanowski i Stańczyk, ale również natury samego dźwięku, jego rzeczywistej struktury, postaci, w jakiej występuje w przyrodzie i naturalnych praw, jakimi się rządzi.

[Władysław Żeleński and the performances of his musical pieces in Vienna] Very interesting yet utterly unknown threads in the biography of Władyslaw Żeleński are his numerous attempts to gain the international recognition (1837–1921).... more

[Władysław Żeleński and the performances of his musical pieces in Vienna]
Very interesting yet utterly unknown threads in the biography of Władyslaw Żeleński are his numerous attempts to gain the international recognition (1837–1921). One of the major musical centers in which Żeleński was promoting his musical output turned out to be, apart from Prague, Vienna – the city which was remaining, in the popular consciousness, “the musical capital” of Central Europe and politically – the capital of Cisleithania (the Austrian part of Austria-Hungary). The article is devoted to the performances of Władyslaw Żeleński’s musical pieces in Vienna. The author has adopted as the beginning of the story the premiere of Sechs Charakterstücke Op. 17 for piano, which took place on December 21, 1871. The essay explains the causes of the manifest failure of Polish music (as well as Władyslaw Żeleński’s one) at the famous Exhibition for Music and the Drama, which took place during the summer and early autumn 1892. It deals also with his so-called “rehabilitative concerts” dating from 1893 and being the direct reaction to this failure, as well as with the presence of his works on Viennese stages during the World War I and the interwar period. Further on are mentioned, as a sort of peripheral comment, the expectations of Western critics towards Polish (and more broadly: Slavic) composers. The article enables us to understand the difficult situation of those Slavic composers who decided to achieve artistic and commercial success in Vienna in the period of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

[Władysław Żeleński in Prague] The article extensively discusses the Prague period of the artistic creation of Władysław Żeleński, one of the most important Polish composers and musical educationists of the second half of 19th and the... more

[Władysław Żeleński in Prague]
The article extensively discusses the Prague period of the artistic creation of Władysław Żeleński, one of the most important Polish composers and musical educationists of the second half of 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The author explains, among others, the reasons of Żeleński’s departure for Prague in 1859, and also focuses on his musical education in this city. Readers can have a look behind the scenes of Żeleński’s doctoral studies at the faculty of philosophy at Charles University as well as get to know his activity in Prague student movement. Moreover, the author presents in chronological order all the available mentions concerning creational activity of Żeleński in that period – his works as well as concerts, where the works were performed. There are also recalled Prague publications of Żeleński’s compositions and the voice of Polish professional musical press, especially the reports of correspondents from Prague, among others Franciszek Stevich, and the reviews of Żeleński’s works by Józef Sikorski. Finally, the author raises the issue of Żeleński’s presence in Czech musical life already after his departure from Prague, which took place in 1866.

Chopin’s music has become ubiquitous enough to forbid almost any comment on it claiming originality of insight. However, such is the universality of its powerfully expressive language that the music of this truly unique composer will... more

Chopin’s music has become ubiquitous enough to forbid almost any comment on it claiming originality of insight. However, such is the universality of its powerfully expressive language that the music of this truly unique composer will surely never lose its appeal to both listener and interpreter alike. It is important to note Chopin’s place in musical history. It is this dynamic that informed his creative vernacular calling as he did on the inspiration of the Baroque and early Classical periods and proceeding to fashion an unmistakeable style without obvious antecedents and also no apparent debt to contemporaries.

This volume presents all preserved works in stile moderno by the chapel master of four Polish Kings, Jacek Różycki (d. 1703). It includes an experimental concerto ‘Ave sanctissima Maria’ for soprano, violin and continuo, which was written... more

This volume presents all preserved works in stile moderno by the chapel master of four Polish Kings, Jacek Różycki (d. 1703). It includes an experimental concerto ‘Ave sanctissima Maria’ for soprano, violin and continuo, which was written in B major and goes through such tonalities as C-sharp major, G-sharp major or D-sharp major.
The edition is available at: http://mi.pl/pl/p/Jacek-Rozycki-Opera-omnia-I-Concerti%2C-Salmi-e-Magnificat.-SSS-Tom-XXX/398

In this article, the author examines the six sonatas for two violins and basso continuo by M.J. Żebrowski, published in the collection of Johann Julius Hummel in Amsterdam, along with the sonatas by G.C. Spangenberg. This print has been... more

In this article, the author examines the six sonatas for two violins and basso continuo by M.J. Żebrowski, published in the collection of Johann Julius Hummel in Amsterdam, along with the sonatas by G.C. Spangenberg. This print has been preserved as an incomplete copy (no voice of the second violin) in the King’s College Library, Cambridge. The author, among others, attempts to clarify any doubts concerning the dating of the works considered and the entire foreign activity of Żebrowski. He also performs a characteristics of this type of composition in the 18th century (establishing the name, composers, transformations and development of forms) and performs a thorough and detailed analysis of Żebrowski’s sonatas, supported by numerous examples of music notations.
In conclusion, the author notes that these works, characterised by a typical of the turn of the Baroque and Classical periods galant style, are a further proof of Żebrowski’s excellent skills in composition. Therefore, it is worth to attempt to reconstruct the unpreserved second violin part, as such action may certainly lead to the enrichment of modest Polish chamber music repertoire of the late Baroque.

From Introduction The name of Aldebrando Subissati (1606-1677) does not appear in any of the leading music lexicons or encyclopedias. If it hadn’t been for the fortunate survival of a manuscript of his violin sonatas, it would no doubt... more

From Introduction
The name of Aldebrando Subissati (1606-1677) does not appear in any of the leading music lexicons or encyclopedias. If it hadn’t been for the fortunate survival of a manuscript of his violin sonatas, it would no doubt have been forgotten. Since the first communiqué from 1980, research into the life and oeuvre of this violinist has expanded somewhat; however, it has for the moment not resulted in a critical edition of his works. […]
The twenty sonatas passed down in the Fossombrone manuscript Il primo libro delle sonate di violino, written in the years 1675-76, are the only surviving works of Subissati. Others of his compositions are mentioned by Polish sources. The manuscript personally drawn up in Fossombrone by the elderly Subissati, a year before his death, bears the traits of a musical testament, a record of the achievements of an entire artistic life. Talking into account the style of the surviving sonatas, they can be dated to the years 1630-1660 – that is, the period in which Subissati was most professionally active, and for a short time also worked for the king of Poland.

Examines the historical identity and literary background of the eponymous hero of the first Polish serious opera of the Romantic period "Monbar, czyli Flibustierowie" [‘Monbar, or the Freebooters’] composed by Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński... more

Examines the historical identity and literary background of the eponymous hero of the first Polish serious opera of the Romantic period "Monbar, czyli Flibustierowie" [‘Monbar, or the Freebooters’] composed by Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński (1807–1867) to a libretto by Ludwik Paprocki (ca. 1800–1881) and Seweryna Pruszakowa née Żochowska (1815–1905).
Dobrzyński finished Monbar in 1838 but it was not performed until 1863. Some excerpts were presented in Poland (Warsaw 1838–1839; Poznań 1845) and in Germany (Berlin 1845, 1847; Leipzig 1845, Dresden 1846).
William Smialek (1991, p. 81) claimed that the true historical predecessor of Dobrzyński’s operatic hero was Henry Morgan (ca. 1635–1688), a famous Welsh pirate. However, in an opera libretto, a given historical figure becomes a victim of a number of narrative conventions. That leads to some visible artistic deformations and infidelities to relevant historical sources.
Dobrzyński's opera libretto shares the narrative syntax with such genres as the Gothic novel, tyrant rescue operas (a term suggested by David Charlton 1992, pp. 181–183), and early examples of the popular theatrical genre of melodrama. Following Vladimir Propp’s narrative theory it would be right to say that in all these cases (literary work, opera, or spoken drama) we are always dealing with the same narrative sequence. Thus, according to Propp's character typology, Monbar could be simply recognized as “the villain” who struggles against the noble hero.

[Review in Nineteenth-Century Music Review, December 2011, 8: pp 322-325, ISSN: 1479- 4098, Cambridge University Press 2011, by Anne Swartz, Baruch College and The Graduate Center, The City University of New York; Review in Ad Parnassum.... more